Explosions on eve of Shiite holiday mark deadliest day in Iraq since election

BAGHDAD, Iraq A series of suicide bombings killed at least 31 people

and wounded dozens more in attacks against Shiite Muslims and Iraqi

troops at Baghdad mosques Friday as sectarian tensions in the capital

boiled on the eve of the holiest of Shiite holidays.

The deadliest blast occurred at a small neighborhood mosque in southern

Baghdad, just minutes before prayers were to begin. A man with a shopping

bag walked toward the entrance, looking apprehensive, and was spotted by

a security guard. Seeing it was too late to get him away from the mosque,

the guard tackled the bomber just before a boom and a flash of light

erupted, according to witnesses.

At least 13 people were killed, including the bomber, and about 25 were

wounded, witnesses said. A news release from the U.S. military said 60

were killed and wounded, but it didnt specify how many of those were

dead.

Chunks of flesh were blown across the sidewalk in front of the mosque. A

man sat alone in a corner and mourned a lost brother. A mother beat her

chest and wailed. A pair of sandals sat next to a prayer mat a pool of

blood marked the spot where their owner had kneeled, ready to praise God,

before the blast tore into his body.

The bombings raised fears that sectarian violence could lead to

widespread unrest in an already unstable nation.

The attacks suspected to be the work of radical Sunni Muslim jihadist

fighters came a day after the allocation of seats in the new National

Assembly were announced. A slate of candidates led by a Shiite cleric

took more than half the slots; minority Sunni groups gathered just a